Hog-tank.



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ULYSSES G. MIGNEREY, OF JULIAN, NEBRASKA.

HOG-TANK.

.cause the animals to be precipitated in the tank while passing acrossthe chute to enable the animals to be subjected to the action of amedicated bath for the treatment of certain diseases and also fordisinfecting or sanitary pur oses, and the said invention consists in te construction, combination and arran ement of devices hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a top plan view of a chuteconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on the plane indicated bythe line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and showing the floor sec tion over the tankremoved, the gate in a closed position and the trap door in position foroperation. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same, showing the gate open,the removable floor section in place and the trap door in normalposition. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a verticaltransverse sectional view of the same.

The chute 1 may in its general structure be of any suitableconstruction, and the same is provided at one end with an inclined inletportion 2 comprising an inclined floor 3 and side frames 4. The mainportion of the chute is provided with a removable floor section 5 andwith a trap door 6, such trap door being located at the upper end of theinclined floor 3 and having a supporting rock shaft or axle 7 at one endwhich is mounted in bearings 8 secured to the side frames 4. On one endof the said rock shaft or axle, which forms the pivot for the trap door,is secured one end of an operating and locking bar or lever 9 which ismade of elastic material, such as wood, so that its outer end may besprung laterally to engage it with the lower end of the triangular camblock 10, which is secured on the outer side of one of the side frames4, its inclined outer face 11 actin as a cam to move the free end of thelever bar 9 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 25, 1907.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Serial No. 394,541.

outwardly, as such lever bar is turned downwardly to dispose the trapdoor 6 in initial, horizontal position, and the lower end of the saidcam block forming a locking shoulder 12, under which the said lever barsprings when the said lever bar and the said trap cam block and leverbar coact to lock and support the said trap door in horizontal position.The trap door is provided at its pivoted or. front end on its upper sidewith a plate 13 which bears on the inclined floor 3 when such trap dooris in horizontal position, as shown.

The removable floor section 5 of the main portion of the chute when inplacerests on the side walls of a tank 14 which is disposed under themain 7 which is of suitab e size to subject animals which drop in thesame to a bath. The rear end of the said tank is inclined, as at 15, toenable the animals to get out of the same and continue on their wayacross the chute after having fallen into and been bathed in the saidtank.

The side frames of the main portion of the chute comprise posts 16, 17and longitudinally disposed bars or rails 18, and the upper ends of thesaid posts 16 are connected together by a transversely disposed plate19, the upper ends of the posts 17 being connected together by atransversely disposed bar 20. A gate 21, which is disposed to swing in avertical plane, has its upper end hinged or pivotally mounted, as at 22,between the upper ends of the posts 16. The said gate drops by gravityto the normal, closed position shown in Fig. 2 and is provided at itslower end with a latch or other suitable looking element 23, which Whenthe said gate is open and disposed in elevated horizontal po. sition, asshown in Fig. 3, is adapted to be turned to cause it to bear on thecross bar 20 and coact with such cross bar to support such gate in suchelevated position.

When the chute is to be used merely for door reach a horizontalposition, so that such ortion of the chute and loading animals into orunloading them from cars, the same is arranged as shown in Fig. 3, withthe trap door 6 closed and locked, the floor section in place, and thegate 21 in elevated open position, so that the chute is entirelyunobstructed, and animals may be readily driven therethrough in eitherdirection. When the chute is to be used for dipping the animals the sameis arranged as shown in Fig. 2 with the gate 21 in closed p0- sition andthe lever bar 9 disengaged from the lower end of the cam and stop block10. The leverage exerted by such bar by reason of the length of the samekeeps the trap door normally in closed position, and as an animal inpassing over the inclined floor approaches such trap door, its firststeps upon the plate 13, which forms an extension of the same, and as itpasses from such plate over the pivot axis 7 of such trap door, thelatter is caused to open downwardly by the weight of the animal andserves to drop the animal into the tank. The extension 13 prevents theanimal from backing from the trap door as the latter opens and alsoholds the animal next in rear momentarily in check until the trap dooris again disposed in horizontal position by the action of thegravitating lever bar 9, so that the trap door operates automatically todrop the animals in succession into the tank.

The gate 21 prevents the animals from turning around in and leaving thetank from the end in which they enter it.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is e 1. Ananimal chute or drive-way having a removable floor section, a tank undersaid floor section, a trap door over said tank at the front end of suchfloor section, means to lock and unlock said tra door, such locking andunlocking means inc uding a lever adapted also for use in operating thetrap door, and a gate disposed in the said chute or driveway at a ointimmediately to the rear of said trap oor, said gate being hung at itsupper side and when the trap door is in a c osed position closingagainst the rear end of said trap door.

2. An animal chute or driveway having a removable floor section, a tankunder said floor section, a trap door over such tank, at the front endof'said floor section, a spring bar connected to the trap door tonormally dispose and maintain the same in horizontal position, and a camblock on one side of the chute to coact with such spring bar to locksuch trap door in closed osition.

In testimony whereof affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ULYSSES G. MIGNEREY.

Witnesses:

W. E. YOUNG, TOBIAS KLINGER.

